“We’re here for them, not us. When you go out the door for your next run, are you the best you can be?”

Why did you become a firefighter?

Deputy Chief Billy Goldfeder was introduced to firefighting as a child in the late 1950s, by Danny— the person who waxed his family’s floors annually. Mr. Goldfeder saw firefighting equipment in the back of Danny’s truck and he didn’t understand how he could wax floors and be a fireman.

After Danny explained that he was a volunteer fireman who responded any time someone needed his help, Mr. Goldfeder knew he wanted to be a firefighter.

Mr. Goldfeder never had much interest in traditional schooling but when it came to fire school, he excelled. He worked hard throughout his career to climb the ranks of the fire service. Today, he is a deputy chief for the Loveland-Symmes Fire Department in Ohio.

If he’s not on-duty, he’s either spending time with family, playing the drums, listening to his favorite band: Asleep at the Wheel.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to become a firefighter?

Get at least a couple years of college under your belt.

It’s important to have that education for the complexity of calls firefighters respond to. In addition to the foundation of knowledge you’ll gain from your education, someone who passes college shows they’ve got the self-discipline to graduate.

“You’re going to get your fire training, but you’ll be so much better at your job if you take the time to get that college education.”

Chief Goldfeder

The learning doesn’t stop after completing entry-level education requirements, however. The job is constantly evolving so firefighters must constantly be learning. In his 47th year on this job, Chief Goldfeder actively participates in training and he’s always learning how to be better.

What changes do you foresee in the fire service?

Technology will be the catalyst for the biggest changes coming to the fire service.

Scientific research is also helping to move the fire service forward. “We thought we understood some things and now we know why these things happen and we can leverage that information to help us be better at our job,” Chief Goldfeder shared.

“Regardless of technology and science, the mission of the fire service remains the same: people are in trouble, we help them with as many qualified people as we can with a qualified coaching staff.”

Chief Goldfeder

Chief Goldfeder is very optimistic about the future of the fire service with some of his officers being younger than him. But he is concerned for the volunteer fire service moving forward.

There are less volunteer firefighters today than in years past because people have less time and the demands have increased. Chief Goldfeder shares more of his sentiment on this in his article The Butcher, Baker, and Candlestick Maker Are Not Coming.

How can we help the volunteer fire service?

“Volunteer fire departments were formed to meet a need in the community,” Chief Goldfeder noted. “As communities have changed, the volunteer fire departments haven’t kept up with their pace of change.”

The communities have more needs to address than they did when these departments were established. Volunteer fire departments that are relying on the same 10% of citizens to respond to all emergencies are going to struggle.

If the department can’t take care of all of the community needs effectively, it may be time to bring some paid firefighters to that department. Saving the community’s tax dollars by having a volunteer fire department does no good if the truck isn’t there in time to put out the fire or issue first aid.

“It’s not about someone’s ego or the way we used to do things. All that matters is: are we meeting the community need?”

Chief Goldfeder

Chief Goldfeder capped off his answer with a challenge to citizens in communities with volunteer fire departments, “If your community can’t afford career firefighters, then the community needs to stand up and make a change. We don’t have volunteer sanitation, volunteer police, or volunteer public works… We shouldn’t expect volunteer fire departments to take care of all of the community needs.”

Chief Goldfeder’s parting advice is highlighted in his book Pass It On: Making Good Progress.

“The greatest lesson I never was taught: we can only be as good as we’re trained to be.”

Firefighters must act as first responders when responding to an emergency and know when to call in reinforcements or pass on the responsibilities when it’s outside of their realm of expertise.

After all, Chief Goldfeder stated, “We’re here for them, not us. When you go out the door for your next run, are you the best you can be?”